Third order effect of postionization population redistribution in strong field

In strong field ionization, the pump pulse not only photoionizes the molecule, but also drives efficient population exchanges between its ionic ground and excited states. In this study, we investigate the population dynamics after strong field molecular photoionization, using angular distribution of dissociative fragments. Our results reveal that the first and third order processes of the post-ionization population redistribution mechanism (PPRM) in the ion can be disentangled and classified by its angle-resolved kinetic energy release (KER) spectra. We demonstrate that the imprints of PPRM in the KER spectra can be used to determine the branching ratio of the population exchange pathways of different orders, by exploiting the pump-intensity-dependent variation of the spectra.

Automated summary

This study investigates the population dynamics after strong field molecular photoionization, revealing that the mechanisms of post-ionization population redistribution (PPRM) in the ion can be classified and differentiated based on angle-resolved kinetic energy release (KER) spectra. The imprints of PPRM in the KER spectra can be used to determine the branching ratio of population exchange pathways of different orders, by exploiting the pump-intensity-dependent variation of the spectra.